HELENA -- While Republican state Sen. Jim Shockley has been
campaigning for attorney general for the past year, the Democratic
side of the 2012 race remains in flux.

Three potential Democratic candidates -- Pam Bucy and Jesse
Laslovich of Helena and Tyler Gernant of Missoula -- are waiting to
see whether Attorney General Steve Bullock, also a Democrat, runs
for governor or re-election.

"I am considering that, contingent on Steve," said Bucy, chief
legal counsel for the state Department of Labor and Industry. "I'm
exploring those options. I'm talking to people about it and talking
to Steve."

Laslovich, chief legal counsel for the state auditor's office
and a former Anaconda legislator, said, "I'm definitely seriously
considering running for attorney general."

Gernant, an attorney for a private practice in Missoula, said,
"I have been looking at the attorney general's race. I'm kind of in
the exploratory phase." He was runner-up in the four-way Democratic
primary for the U.S. House last year.

Meanwhile, Shockley, a private attorney in Victor, said he is in
the race for good.

"I said I was in June 2010, and I didn't change my mind and
don't intend to change my mind," the Republican said.

Shockley said he'll remain in the race, despite being ticketed
in January for having an open container of alcohol in his vehicle
after an off-duty sheriff in Missoula saw him drinking a beer on
Interstate 90. His blood alcohol content was 0.03 percent, less
than half of the legal intoxication limit for drivers of 0.08
percent. He paid a $51 fine.

"It wasn't a good idea," Shockley said. "I'm sorry it
happened."

Republican Tim Fox, a private attorney in Helena who lost to
Bullock in 2008, was noncommittal about running for the post in
2012.

"I haven't made any decisions," he said. "Never say never."

Here's a look at some of the other races:

Secretary of state: Linda McCulloch, a
Democrat, is seeking re-election. She previously was state
superintendent of public instruction after serving in the
Legislature.

On the Republican side, Scott Aspenlieder, a civil engineer from
Helena, said will announce his candidacy for the office Monday.

Ex-Secretary of State Brad Johnson, whom McCulloch unseated in
2008, is eyeing the office.

"I still very much feel called to public service and very much
want to enter that arena in 2012," Johnson said. "Certainly the
secretary of state would be one of those offices that would be on
the list. I left a lot of work unfinished there."

Former House Speaker Scott Sales, R-Bozeman, said he's
considering running for secretary of state or possibly auditor, but
hasn't decided yet.

Also taking a look is Gary Carlson of Victor, who lost a bid for
the western district congressional seat against Democratic Rep. Pat
Williams in 1984 and served briefly as state GOP executive director
in 2009-2010. Carlson ran a Defense Department program under
President Ronald Reagan.

State auditor: Monica Lindeen, the Democratic
incumbent, is running for another term. So far, she has no
Republican opposition. Sales mentioned it as a possibility, along
with secretary of state.

Sen. Jason Priest, R-Red Lodge, has been mentioned as a possible
auditor candidate, but he sounded more inclined to remain in the
Senate, where he is a holdover senator.

"At this point, I haven't ruled anything in or out," Priest
said. "I really like the job I have, and I'm pretty committed to
doing the best job I can there and fulfilling the job that I
have."

Superintendent of public instruction:
Democratic incumbent Denise Juneau is running for re-election. No
Republican challengers have emerged, although Carlson said he might
consider it if he doesn't run for secretary of state.

Public Service Commission, District 2: This
will be an open seat in the southeastern Montana district because
Commissioner Brad Molnar, R-Laurel, is term-limited.

Chuck Tooley, mayor of Billings from 1988-93, said he will be
running as a Democrat for the PSC in 2012.

State Sen. Lynda Moss, D-Billings, said she's been asked to
consider running for the PSC and is looking at that and other
options.

On the Republican side, former state Sen. Roy Brown, R-Billings,
has been mentioned as a potential candidate.

"I've thought a little bit about it, but I haven't made up my
mind if I want to run for anything next year," said Brown, the GOP
nominee for governor in 2008.

Rep. James Knox, R-Billings, said he considered the PSC race but
decided to run for re-election to the state House.

PSC, District 3: Commissioner John Vincent,
D-Gallatin Gateway, has dropped plans to run for governor and
instead will seek re-election to his seat representing southwestern
and south-central Montana.

On the Republican side, Jim Brown, a lawyer who practices in
Dillon and Helena, said he's been asked to run for the PSC but
isn't ready to announce his candidacy yet.

PSC, District 4: The race may turn out to be a
rematch of the 2008 campaign when Democrat Gale Gutsche of Missoula
unseated Republican incumbent Doug Mood of Seeley Lake for the seat
representing western and northwestern Montana. Now Gutsche is the
incumbent, and Mood may be the challenger.

"I'm tentatively looking at the prospect," said Mood, a former
House speaker. "We'll see how the political winds are blowing and
what's going on with my own life."

Rep. Champ Edmonds, R-Missoula, said he was asked to run for the
PSC, but decided to seek re-election.

HELENA -- Some new potential candidates are surfacing for the
2012 governor's race, including Lt. Gov. John Bohlinger, a former
Republican lawmaker who's considering running as a Democrat or even
as an independent, and state Senate Majority Leader Jeff Essmann,
R-Billings.

Also looking at the race is Carl Borgquist, a Democrat and
president of Grasslands Renewable Energy of Bozeman.

And everyone is waiting to see if Attorney General Steve
Bullock, a Democrat, runs for the governor's seat being vacated by
fellow Democrat Brian Schweitzer or files for another four-year
term as the state's chief legal and law enforcement official.

The potential governor candidates would join a race that already
features a crowded Republican field and a Democratic race pitting
two state senators.

Five Republican candidates already are actively campaigning for
governor, some since a year ago. They are: former U.S. Rep. Rick
Hill of Helena; former state Sen. Ken Miller of Laurel; Neil
Livingstone of Helena, a national security and anti-terrorism
consultant; Chouteau County Commissioner Jim O'Hara of Fort Benton;
and former state Sen. Corey Stapleton of Billings.

Democrats already in the governor's race are state Sens. Larry
Jent of Bozeman and Dave Wanzenried of Missoula.

Jent debunked rumors that he would run for attorney general if
Bullock enters the governor's race and took a veiled shot at him,
saying, "I think people are looking for decisive leadership, and
part of that's figuring out what you want to do."

Sen. Ryan Zinke, R-Whitefish, has been mentioned as a candidate
for governor or as Livingstone's running mate for lieutenant
governor, but he wasn't tipping his hand yet. He said he'll make
his decision by mid-July.

"I'm looking at where I can make the most progress in helping
Montana take a giant step forward," the retired Navy SEAL officer
said in an email. "We just can't have more of the same. We need
better jobs, better education and a better future. North Dakota and
the other states should be looking at Montana as the model and not
the other way around. Basically, we need a CEO for governor who
understands business and is willing to buck the system to get the
job done."

Those filing papers to raise money to run for governor but who
don't appear to be actively campaigning yet are: Keith Winkler, a
Billings Republican; Ron Vandevender, a Libertarian from Cascade;
and Ronald Lassle of Helena, who didn't declare a party.

In the race for the U.S. House, two more Democrats, state Sen.
Kim Gillan of Billings, and Missoula City Council member Dave
Strohmaier are on the verge of announcing their candidacies.

They would join state Rep. Franke Wilmer, D-Bozeman, a Montana
State University professor, who has already announced.

On the GOP side, Steve Daines, a Bozeman businessman, initially
announced his candidacy for U.S. Senate in 2010, but dropped down
to the House race earlier this year when Rep. Denny Rehberg
announced he would challenge Democratic Sen. Jon Tester.

John Abarr, a former Ku Klux Klan organizer who lives in Great
Falls, said he will run as a Republican for Congress. He lost a
2002 state House primary in which Republicans denounced him as a
racist.

The only top tier race that appears set at this point is the
blockbuster Senate battle between Tester, who is seeking a second
six-year term, and Rehberg, who last fall won his sixth two-year
term in the U.S. House.

As for the governor's race, Bohlinger said he's been asked by a
number of people to consider running and is mulling it over.

"When first asked, my thought was, 'Golly, I'll be 76 when this
term of office is up. At 76, one should consider retirement,'"
Bohlinger said. "But the prompting continues. As I process this,
I'm blessed with good health and a great deal of energy. I'd very
much like to have a seat at the table where an agenda representing
the common good could be advanced."

When Schweitzer, a Democrat, tapped Bohlinger, then a Republican
state senator, to be his running mate in 2004, it raised hackles
among in both parties. Later, some political analysts believed the
bipartisan pairing was a major factor in their victory.

Bohlinger said he has spoken to both Republican and Democratic
leaders about the idea of running for governor.

"I think there's probably greater support for my candidacy for
being a Democrat as opposed to being a Republican," he said.

Bohlinger said he's considering running as an independent, but
probably won't.

If he does run, Bohlinger said he'd agree to serve only one
term, adding: "At 80, one should retire."

"I do have a passion for public policy, especially one
advocating the public good," he said. "We know corporate America
will be at the table. My focus would be on bringing forward
proposals that would improve our education system. I have a great
concern about the human services."

Essmann, the Billings businessman, property developer and lawyer
who was appointed to replace Bohlinger in the Senate and who has
been elected since, said he has been encouraged to take a look at
the race.

"I do intend to visit with my friends and my supporters and my
family to see what their thoughts are about the 2012 governor's
race," he said. "You get pushed enough, you've got to think about
it."

Essmann was in the news often in the 2011 Legislature as the
sponsor of the new law to impose more regulations and restrict
access to medical marijuana. It has been challenged in court as
unconstitutional, although the state attorney general's office has
argued it passes legal muster.

Borgquist is a former civilian and military prosecutor who was
worked in estate planning for D.A. Davidson & Co. before
forming a renewable energy business.

"I'm definitely looking at running," the Bozeman Democrat said.
"I'm laying the groundwork talking to Montanans, getting myself
organized. If I announce, I will do it in the fall. I think I bring
a well-diversified record of experience and an independent and
common sense approach to business, and I'd like to bring that to
the office and to my state."

In the House race, Gillan, a Democratic senator who works as
workforce development coordinator for Montana State University
Billings, said she will announce her intentions in the coming
weeks,

"I'm humbled by all the calls urging me to run," said Gillan, a
state lawmaker since 1997. "It is clear that we need serious
leadership in these tough times to bring Montana values to Congress
and protect Montana's middle class, seniors and veterans."

Strohmaier, another Democrat, said he is interested in running
for the House seat.

"You probably will be hearing from me in the relatively near
future -- probably in the next week," he said in voice message last
week.

He works as a historian for Historical Research Associates Inc.
of Missoula and has served on the Missoula City Council since
2005.

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